We the people... Opening Government for the People... By the People
Editor's Note: U.S. Deputy Chief Technnology Officer for Data Policy and Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil spoke to a group of our newest citizens at a Naturalization Ceremony in Dallas, Texas this morning. The following are his remarks as prepared.
Good morning everyone! Thank you Officer Mouse, Acting District Director Tarango and Acting Field Office Director Enis.
Editor's note: Today, President Obama is sending the following note to the White House email list. Make sure you get the message—sign up here.
In 1796, as George Washington set the precedent for a peaceful, democratic transfer of power, he also set a precedent by penning a farewell address to the American people.
In this week’s address, President Obama reflected on the significant progress we’ve made since he took office in 2009. Over the past eight years, we’ve turned the recession into recovery; 20 million more Americans have health insurance; we’ve brought 165,000 troops from Iraq and Afghanistan; we took out Osama bin Laden; and we brought nearly 200 nations together around a climate agreement that could save the planet for our kids. The President reminded us that this extraordinary progress wasn’t inevitable -- it was the result of tough choices, and the hard work and resilience of the American people. It will take all of us working together to sustain and build on all that we’ve achieved -- that’s how we keep America moving forward.
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This week, we're bringing back some of our favorite moments captured on camera this year, from dancing in the Oval Office to singing Jingle Bells on the South Lawn. Check it out, then take a look at all the featured videos below.
January
Watch: President Obama Delivers his Final State of the Union Address
February
Watch: "What's the secret to still dancing at 106?"
March
Watch: West Wing Week 3/25/16 or, “¡Hola, Cuba!”
Watch: President Obama and the First Family Take a Walk in Old Havana
April
Watch: President Obama Explores America's Newest National Monument
May
Watch: President Obama Meets With His Kid Science Advisors
June
Watch: President Obama meets "Little Miss Flint"
July
Watch: Celebrating the 26th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
August
Watch: President Obama visits Midway Atoll
September
Watch: Dear President Obama: "We Will Give Him a Family"
October
Watch: A Peek Inside SXSL: A Festival at the White House
November
Watch: President Obama in Athens, Greece
December
Watch: First Family Attends The Christmas Tree Lighting
Check out some of our favorite videos from the past eight years.
In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in September 2016. This release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 5.99 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.
Today, President Obama authorized a number of actions in response to the Russian government’s aggressive harassment of U.S. officials and cyber operations aimed at the U.S. election in 2016. Russia’s cyber activities were intended to influence the election, erode faith in U.S. democratic institutions, sow doubt about the integrity of our electoral process, and undermine confidence in the institutions of the U.S.
In this week’s address, the President and the First Lady wished all Americans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. They reflected on the honor of serving the American people as President and First Lady over the past eight years and the progress that has been made. The President and the First Lady recognized our troops and their families for their service, and they encouraged everyone to visit JoiningForces.gov to find out how to support service members, veterans, and military families in your community.
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America has long stood as a beacon of hope and opportunity, and few embody that spirit here at home and abroad more than the members of our Armed Forces and our veterans. Throughout his Administration, President Obama has sought to honor the brave men and women who have served this country. This includes foreign-born residents and naturalized citizens who are service members and veterans.
Too many parents working hard to make ends meet also pay more for their children’s basic necessities – including often paying twice as much for diapers as wealthier parents. Though some families take for granted their ability to leverage the tools of the new economy, such as online ordering and subscription services that save time and money, other families face barriers in access to broadband, access to credit and capital, and ability to receive packages at home – increasing their costs for household goods, including those critical to their children’s health and well-being.
Editor’s Note: Staff from the Council of Economic Advisers, the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy contributed to this post.
Today, in order to ready the United States for a future in which artificial intelligence (AI) plays a growing role, the White House released a report on Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Economy.
Today, President Obama granted clemency to 231 deserving individuals — the most individual acts of clemency granted in a single day by any president in this nation’s history.
Today marks two years from when President Obama announced the normalizing of relations with Cuba. Hear from Julia de la Rosa, a Cuban entrepreneur, on how her life was changed by the President's actions.
My name is Julia de la Rosa, and I am a Cuban cuentapropista -- or Cuban entrepreneur. Over 20 years ago, my husband and I started our own business in Cuba providing lodging and transportation to visitors in our neighborhood in Havana.
In this week’s address, President Obama discussed the importance of fair competition in the marketplace. The principle of fair competition isn’t a Democratic or a Republican idea – it’s an American idea. Over the past eight years, the Obama Administration has taken many actions to keep the marketplace fair, including: defending a free, open, and accessible internet; cracking down on conflicts of interest by making sure professionals who give retirement advice do so in the consumer’s best interest; and – just this week – standing up for beef, pork, and poultry growers when they’re treated unfairly. The President believes our free-market economy only works when there’s competition and rules are in place to keep it fair, open, and honest. That’s what this is all about – ensuring that everyone has a chance to compete by leveling the playing field and keeping the rules clear and consistent.
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Ed. note: This was originally posted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Today, as part of HUD’s ConnectHome initiative to bring high-speed internet to low-income households with school-aged children in HUD-assisted housing, T-Mobile, the City of New York, and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) have committed to do their part to close the digital divide in New York.
"I want to say how much Michelle and I appreciate the opportunities to have celebrated so many Hanukkahs with you in the White House ... As many of you know, the name “Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew word for “dedication.” So we want to thank you again for your dedication to our country, to the historic progress that we’ve made, to the defense of religious freedom in the United States and around the world.
The White House is hosting its final MBK National Summit today, and launching our #IamMBK Digital Day of Action. As we near the end of the Obama administration, we are celebrating the historic progress underway to expand opportunity for all of our kids, and want to make sure that there is no doubt that MBK is here to stay! Tune in to the President's remarks today at 4:45pm ET.
Today, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, bipartisan legislation that will go a long way toward bringing about the medical breakthroughs we need to meet some of the biggest health challenges facing Americans today. No matter what corner of the country you live in, you or someone in your life has been touched by cancer, the opioid epidemic, devastating illnesses or serious mental health issues.
Vice President Joe Biden sent the following message to the White House email list ahead of joining President Obama later today as he signs the Cures Act into law. You can tune in here at 2:00PM ET:
Last Monday night, forty-four years after the people of Delaware first sent me to the United States Senate, I presided over a Senate vote for one of the last times.
In this week’s address, President Obama discussed Open Enrollment on the Health Insurance Marketplace, which began November 1. The deadline to sign up for coverage beginning on January 1 is this Thursday, December 15, and the final deadline to sign up for 2017 coverage is January 31. Today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, every American with insurance is covered by the strongest set of consumer protections in history.
You heard it from Shaq himself: on Monday, December 12, the White House will host a competitive gaming event to help people sign up for health care coverage at HealthCare.gov. Tune in to twitch.tv/GetCovered at 4 PM Eastern to join in!
Millions of Americans participate in eSports (that’s Electronic Sports, or competitive video games) to connect with friends, to challenge themselves, to root for their favorite eSports team, and to be part of a rapidly growing community.
Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a process to facilitate the availability of over-the-counter hearing aids—an announcement with the potential to positively impact millions of Americans.
Tens of millions of Americans currently suffer from mild to moderate hearing loss, often age-related, but many either don’t realize they’ve been affected or cannot afford basic hearing aids—which currently cost an average of $2,300 apiece.
President Obama is in Tampa, Florida today to personally thank some of the men and women who have been at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism. While at MacDill Air Force Base, he will also deliver his last major speech dedicated to his national security record in which he will summarize what we've accomplished at home and abroad over the last eight years; how we've approached the threat of terrorism; ;and how he he believes the nation can pursue a successful and sustainable counterterrorism policy in the years to come.
From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the emergence of ISIL, to the importance of diplomacy and global development, President Obama will review exactly what he did as Commander-in-Chief and the lessons that can be drawn from this approach. Make sure you watch at 4:10pm ET.
In President Obama’s final State of the Union Address, he issued a bold call to action to give every child the opportunity to learn computer science. He did so because computing is becoming increasingly relevant to America’s economy, cybersecurity, and national security.
He also thinks it’s a lot of fun!
Since then, 2016 has been a year of action in support of computer science, with new announcements made today.
“The changes achieved in the last two decades speak to what people can accomplish when they refuse to accept the world as it is. Today let us once again reach for the world that should be -- one where all people, regardless of country or disability, enjoy equal access, equal opportunity, and the freedom to realize their limitless potential.
In this week's address, President Obama highlighted the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill in Congress that could help us find a cure for Alzheimer's, end cancer as we know it, and help those who are seeking treatment for opioid addiction.This week, the House passed the bill overwhelmingly with bipartisan support -- and the President called on the Senate to do the same when they vote in a few days. Because that's what this is all about: coming to a compromise based on the belief that we should seize every chance we have to find cures as soon as possible.
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The holidays have arrived! It's been a busy here in the White House as we get ready for the holiday season - from First Lady, Michelle Obama receiving the Official White House Christmas tree, to her welcoming military families to the White House to preview the holiday decorations, to President Obama meeting with the 2016 American Nobel Peace Prize winners, to the First Family closing out the week by attending the National Christmas Tree Lighting.
The premise behind the TechHire initiative is simple: Give more people the skills they need to succeed in the tech jobs that employers are struggling to fill. The initiative started with 21 cities, states, and rural areas from St. Louis to Eastern Kentucky, teaming up with 300 companies to train and source a diverse tech workforce from atypical backgrounds.
The economy added a solid 178,000 jobs in November as the longest streak of total job growth on record continued. U.S. businesses have now added 15.6 million jobs since early 2010. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in November, its lowest level since August 2007, and the broadest measure of underemployment fell for the second month in a row.
Get the 1600 app now to experience the White House in augmented reality.
What’s it like to attend a state dinner at the White House? Or see Marine One land on the South Lawn?
From hosting festivals on the South Lawn to allowing people to explore its rooms via Google Street View, President Obama has used traditional events and new technology to open up the doors of the White House to more Americans than ever before.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker sent the following message to the White House email list ahead of a White House convening on criminal justice reform. You can tune in below at 2:30pm ET:
If someone had pulled aside the signers of the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago and told them that, one day, the country they founded would be home to the largest number of imprisoned people in the world, they might have been more than a little disappointed.
America’s entrepreneurial economy is the envy of the world.
The smell of pine, the taste of gingerbread cookies, the choral sounds of music filling the halls and the sight of thousands of guests coming through the doors -- that’s right, it’s time for another magical holiday season at the White House!
In our eighth and final holiday season, we’re celebrating the theme, "The Gift of the Holidays" -- the gift of family and friends, reflection and remembrance, and excitement and cheer.
In September 2009, the President announced that—for the first time in history—White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in August 2016. This release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 5.91 million—all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.
Today, on Small Business Saturday, we celebrate the contributions of small businesses to our country and our communities – and we encourage everyone to make a visit to a small business as part of their holiday shopping.
In this week's address, President Obama wished the American people a happy Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds us that no matter our differences, we are still one people, part of something bigger than ourselves. Because what makes us American are the ideals to which we pledge our allegiance. And it's about our ability to live up to the creed "E Pluribus Unum" -- that out of many, we are one.
In case you missed it, be sure to take a look at the President's final pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey.
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Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year to be an American.
Five years ago today, President Obama signed into law the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which brought about major changes to help transitioning Service members and veterans.
From honoring our veterans at the Arlington National Cemetery, to the President's final trip abroad, it’s been a busy week. Watch behind the scenes footage and highlights from his tour of Greece, Germany and Peru by watching this week's episode of West Wing Week narrated by Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
Learn more about the events featured in this week's episode below.
In this week's address, Vice President Joe Biden discussed the progress we have made to ensure that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules has a real shot at getting into the middle class and staying there. Over the past eight years, we have made significant progress; from working with Congress to cut taxes for low- and middle-income families, to taking executive authority to provide paid sick leave to more than 1.1 million workers.
Since the President's call to action to increase the minimum wage in 2013, 18 states and 55 cities have raised their minimum wage. The Vice President noted that although we've made progress, more work needs to be done to give American workers a chance. Because when they are given the chance, American workers never let their country down.
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November 1 marked the beginning of open enrollment, when people can obtain health care coverage for 2017 through the Health Insurance Marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. The Marketplaces allow individuals to shop for and compare plans to find one that’s right for them, and most HealthCare.gov consumers can find a plan for $75 or less per month, less than the cost of a cell phone bill.
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